Conventional computing systems use a basic input output system (BIOS) stored in system firmware in order to “boot” the processor into operation. During the boot process, configuration data required to set initial settings of the system are retrieved using a firmware configuration utility. In some BIOS/firmware architectures these configuration settings are stored in a system non-volatile memory, such as a CMOS component. Other BIOS/firmware implementations store this data in the same nonvolatile memory on which the firmware resides. In either event, because configuration data is obtained from the local non-volatile memory, updates to configuration data must first be applied to this memory before it is effective. Such updates, therefore, require one or more software processes operative on the computing system to load updated configuration data into the non-volatile memory.